USS Donald Cook Commences FOST

The Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) began Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) March 23, 2015.

FOST is based out of naval bases in the United Kingdom (UK); it delivers operational training across all disciplines for the Royal Navy and other Navies that wish to make use of its services.

Lt. Matthew Brown, USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) Operations Officer, said:

FOST is preparing us for Joint Warrior, which is a 54-nation, international exercise in which we’ll operate as part of a strike group.

FOST offers tailored training to meet the specific national requirements of many other navies, air forces and elements of land forces. The syllabus is framed around NATO doctrine and is aimed at delivering Royal Navy standards, drawing upon FOST’s experience across an array of platforms to capture and promote best practice.

USS Donald Cook (DDG 75), forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, is conducting naval operations with allies and partners in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in order to advance security and stability in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions.

Image: US Navy